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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. tube — a container
  3. charge — a price
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. sharp — clever
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. file — a line of people
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. ball — a dance
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. file — a tool
  14. charge — in control
  15. ball — a great time
  16. tube — the underground
  17. toast — bread
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. firm — steady
  20. band — a music group
  21. file — a document
  22. firm — decided
  23. charge — electricity
  24. firm — a company

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com